


"Commander, about that vacation. Can I take it now? As in Right Now?"

by ImperialParagons



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, Set post Iokath
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-05-03 11:16:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14567862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImperialParagons/pseuds/ImperialParagons
Summary: The Commander and Gault chat about old times, old friends, and another one of Gault's schemes goes sideways. The OC Commander is a 100% Light Side Chiss Bounty Hunter





	"Commander, about that vacation. Can I take it now? As in Right Now?"

“Gault,” Nuskuu’s voice carried much farther than it used to, even if it had gained a melancholic edge over the years. Gault looked up from the computer terminal, probably guilty of doing something he knew The Commander wouldn’t entirely approve of but that wasn’t technically illegal. Stepping around the computer terminal to avoid the Commander’s prying eyes Gault slipped into his typical grin, shoving his hands into his pockets and adopting the posture of somebody planning to lie his way out of trouble.

“Ah! Commander! I was just—“

“You’re not in trouble. We just, we need to talk.”

Gault stiffened and grimaced. There was something about that tone that halted his carefully rehearsed speech about how scamming Indo Zal was doing the galaxy a favor. For a second Gault looked like Giza caught in a trap, thinking desperately about anything else he might have done that The Commander would want to talk about. It wasn’t like the two saw eye to eye about, well anything really. Back before Nuskuu had been The Commander, and they had just been regular ol’ partners in crime it had been like traveling around with a particularly vigilant customs agent.

Even robbing the Gilded Star had been a hard sell for The Commander. How the man had become a Bounty Hunter when he seemed to have the moral code of a Jedi was the subject of speculation from half the Alliance. The other half probably speculated about it too, just more quietly. “Now Commander, I haven’t done anything strictly /illegal/ in the past—“

“I trust you.” Gault’s jaw dropped enough to nearly hit the floor at that and his eyes narrowed as he stared at The Commander in faux-shock for a long moment. “This isn’t about you scamming Indo – although I wish you wouldn’t. This is about Vette.” The two locked eyes for a brief second before Gault’s gaze dropped to the floor. “I’m sorry about what happened.”

“Yes, well, water under the bridge now Commander. Things happen to old partners all the time; although, maybe I should take you up on your recommendation of a five year nap in Carbonite. Might make starting over a little bit easier.”

The Commander smiled sadly. It was hard to read what expression was behind those orange eyes of his, but the smile was definitely sad. “I wanted to offer you some time off. You AND Hylo.” Nuskuu’s sad smile switched to something more pensive as he continued. “This hasn’t been easy on anybody, but, we’re in a lull between storms right now and we can last a week with Hylo.”

“Probably not a week without /my/ charms though.”

Nuskuu laughed, and it’s the first time that The Commander seemed to have genuinely laughed in what feels like years. “I’d give it two days without you around before there’s four pazzak leagues operating again. You’ve fleeced everybody in the Alliance enough times to be more of a deterrent to gambling then any of my talks ever were.”

This time it was Gault’s turn to laugh. It almost felt like old times. The Commander might have been a Jedi disguised as a Bounty Hunter, but the man did know how to land a good joke. “You flatter me Commander. Although, maybe if I’d been a little more generous with losing the occasional hand at first…”

“I am serious about you and Hylo taking some time off,” there was no room for discussion or questioning in the statement this time around. It was quite a change from the old Bounty Hunter to the new Commander. Any more Nuskuu had sense of authority and command that had never been there when they were just a team of Mercs. Even when he’d first signed on to the Alliance, Gault hadn’t been expecting his old boss to manage to keep everybody together the way he had managed too – and while having the ghost of the dead Sith Emperor in his head… How that hadn’t driven The Commander crazy was something beyond even a miracle.

Gault threw up his hands in faux-surrender. “You win Commander! Hylo and I will take a week of /paid/ vacation.” The commander laughed again, although it was less of a real laugh then before and more of a tolerant laugh that suggested he had been expecting the request.

“Hylo wanted time and a half for taking vacation,” Gault’s face was worth having waited to spring that gem, and The Commander grinned and winked at him, “But since you only asked for time…”

“Commander!”

“You’ll both get time and a half, but only if you promise to not cheat at Sabbac next time we play.”

“You drive a hard bargain Commander, but I suppose I can play fair for /one/ game of Sabbac.”

“I’ll make sure Lana’s there. She still hasn’t forgiven you for that.”

Gault adopted such a look of righteous indignation that it was almost believable he was offended at the accusation. “It’s not my fault she’s so—“ The Commander’s warning look changed how he was going to end that statement to something considerably more repeatable in polite company. “Sith-y.”

“She keeps her insults about you to a minimum you know. And she hasn’t suggested that I kill you yet, which from Lana is high praise.”

“Ah yes. Lana’s infamous list of people you should have killed. Was Vette’s name on that list of hers?” The question was sharper then Gault had intended, and he immediately turned away from The Commander. He didn’t want to know the answer.

“No,” Nuskuu’s voice was little more than a whisper. Had Gault not known the man could whisper – The Commander and Mako used to whisper together on a regular basis – it would have been a surprise that his voice could be so quiet. “It was entirely my choice.” The weight of that statement sat between them for a long time where neither said anything.

“Vaylin is the one who killed Vette, not you,” Gault’s voice cracked and for a moment he seemed about ready to say something else but instead just shook his head. “And you killed Vaylin. That’s what Vette would have wanted in the end; for you, us, The Alliance, to defeat Valkorion and save the galaxy.”

“I—“

The computer behind Gault beeped alarmingly and Gault jerked back towards it, cutting off whatever The Commander was going to say. “Commander, about that vacation. Can I take it now, as in Right Now. I may have—“

“Hylo is already waiting for you in the ship. She wins the bet that it wouldn’t be fifteen minutes before whatever it is you’re doing went wrong.”

“So my better half knows me better then I know myself. What else is new?”

“She packed for you too.”


End file.
